Website advertising inventory

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, in which syndication spaces for a webpage are identified, each syndication space defining a location on the webpage in which one or more advertisements are displayed at a client device, and each syndication space associated with one or more attributes. Display data is generated that causes each syndication space to selectively display a visual indication of one or more of the attributes on the webpage at the client device.

BACKGROUND

This document relates to information presentation.

The rise of the Internet has enabled access to a wide variety of contentitems, e.g., video and/or audio files, webpages for particular subjects,news articles, etc. Such access to these content items has likewiseenabled opportunities for targeted advertising. One form of onlineadvertising is advertisement syndication, which allows advertisers toextend their marketing reach by distributing advertisements toadditional partners. For example, third party online publishers canplace an advertiser's text or image advertisements on webpages that havecontent related to the advertisement. As the users are likely interestedin the particular content on the publisher webpage, they are also likelyto be interested in the product or service featured in theadvertisement. Accordingly, such targeted advertisement placement canhelp drive online customers to the advertiser's webpage.

SUMMARY

An advertiser or publisher may be interested in reviewing syndicationspaces, e.g., advertising slots, on various web properties to evaluatethe syndication spaces and/or the web property. The subject matter ofthis document provides systems and methods that conveniently facilitatesuch a review.

In general, one aspect of the subject matter described in thisspecification can be embodied in a method for displaying a visualindication of attributes associated with syndication spaces. Syndicationspace for a webpage are identified, each syndication space defining alocation on the webpage in which one or more content items are displayedat a client device, and each syndication space associated with one ormore attributes. Display data is generated and a visual indication ofone or more of the attributes is selective displayed on the webpage atthe client device. The display data is provided to the client device.Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding methods,apparatus, and computer program products.

Another aspect of the subject matter described in this specification canbe embodied in a method for displaying syndication spaces. Identifiersof one or more syndication spaces associated with a webpage arereceived, each syndication space defining a location on the webpage inwhich one or more advertisements are displayed at a client device whenthe webpage is displayed on the client device, and each syndicationspace associated with one or more attributes. A visual indication of theone or more attributes is selectively displayed on the webpage inresponse to a user selection. Other embodiments of this aspect includecorresponding methods, apparatus, and computer program products.

The details of one or more embodiments of the subject matter describedin this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and thedescription below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of thesubject matter will become apparent from the description, the drawings,and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example online environment.

FIG. 2A is an example publisher webpage with one or more syndicationspaces.

FIG. 2B is another example publisher webpage with one or moresyndication spaces.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an example process for displaying a visualindication of attributes associated with syndication spaces.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example process for displaying a visualindication of attributes.

Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicatelike elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example online environment 100. Theonline environment 100 can facilitate the identification and serving ofcontent items, e.g., webpages, advertisements, etc., to users. Acomputer network 110, such as a local area network (LAN), wide areanetwork (WAN), the Internet, or a combination thereof, connects contentproviders (e.g., advertisers 102 a and 102 b), an advertisementmanagement system 104, publishers 106 a and 106 b, user devices 108 aand 108 b, and a search engine 112. Although only two advertisers (102 aand 102 b), two publishers (102 a and 102 b) and two user devices (108 aand 108 b) are shown, the online environment 100 may include manythousands of advertisers, publishers and user devices.

§1.0 Advertisement Publishing and Tracking

In some implementations, one or more advertisers 102 a and/or 102 b candirectly, or indirectly, enter, maintain, and track content iteminformation in the advertising management system 104. One form of acontent item is an advertisement. Other forms of content items caninclude video files, image files, and audio files. While the descriptionbelow refers to advertisements, other forms of content items can also beused. The advertisements can be in the form of graphical advertisements,such as banner advertisements, text only advertisements, imageadvertisements, audio advertisements, video advertisements,advertisements combining one or more of any of such components, etc., orany other type of electronic advertisement document 120. Theadvertisements may also include embedded information, such as a links,meta-information, and/or machine executable instructions, such as HTMLor JavaScript™.

A user device, such as user device 108 a, can submit a page contentrequest 109 to a publisher or the search engine 112. In someimplementations, the page content 111 can be provided to the user device108 a in response to the request 109. The page content can includeadvertisements provided by the advertisement management system 104, orcan include executable instructions, e.g., JavaScript™, that can beexecuted at the user device 108 a to request advertisements from theadvertisement management system 104. Example user devices 108 includepersonal computers, mobile communication devices, television set-topboxes, etc.

Advertisements can also be provided from the publishers 106. Forexample, one or more publishers 106 a and/or 106 b can submitadvertisement requests for one or more advertisements to the system 104.The system 104 responds by sending the advertisements to the requestingpublisher 106 a or 106 b for placement on one or more of the publisher'sweb properties (e.g., webpages and other network-distributed content).The advertisements can include embedding links to landing pages, e.g.,pages on the advertisers' 102 webpages, that a user is directed to whenthe user clicks an advertisement presented on a publisher webpage. Theadvertisement requests can also include content request information.This information can include the content itself (e.g., page or othercontent document), a category corresponding to the content or thecontent request (e.g., arts, business, computers, arts-movies,arts-music, etc.), part or all of the content request, content age,content type (e.g., text, graphics, video, audio, mixed media, etc.),geo-location information, etc.

In some implementations, a publisher 106 can combine the requestedcontent with one or more of the advertisements provided by the system104. This combined page content 111 and advertisements can be sent tothe user device 108 that requested the content (e.g., user device 108 a)as page content 111 for presentation in a viewer (e.g., a browser orother content display system). The publisher 106 can transmitinformation about the advertisements back to the advertisementmanagement system 104, including information describing how, when,and/or where the advertisements are to be rendered (e.g., in HTML orJavaScript™).

Publishers 106 a and 106 b can include general content servers thatreceive requests for content (e.g., articles, discussion threads,advertisements, music, video, graphics, search results, webpagelistings, information feeds, etc.), and retrieve the requested contentin response to the request. For example, content servers related to newscontent providers, retailers, independent blogs, social network sites,or any other entity that provides content over the network 110 can be apublisher.

Advertisements can also be provided through the use of the search engine112. The search engine 112 can receive queries for search results. Inresponse, the search engine 112 can retrieve relevant search resultsfrom an index of documents (e.g., from an index of webpages). Anexemplary search engine 112 is described in the article 1. Brin and L.Page, “The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Search Engine,” SeventhInternational World Wide Web Conference, Brisbane, Australia and in U.S.Pat. No. 6,285,999. Search results can include, for example, lists ofwebpage titles, snippets of text extracted from those webpages, andhypertext links to those webpages, and may be grouped into apredetermined number of (e.g., ten) search results.

The search engine 112 can also submit a request for advertisements tothe system 104. The request may include a number of advertisementsdesired. This number may depend on the search results, the amount ofscreen or page space occupied by the search results, the size and shapeof the advertisements, etc. The request for advertisements may alsoinclude the query (as entered or parsed), information based on the query(such as geo-location information, whether the query came from anaffiliate and an identifier of such an affiliate), and/or informationassociated with, or based on, the search results. Such information mayinclude, for example, identifiers related to the search results (e.g.,document identifiers or “docIDs”), scores related to the search results(e.g., information retrieval (“IR”) scores), snippets of text extractedfrom identified documents (e.g., webpages), full text of identifieddocuments, feature vectors of identified documents, etc. In someimplementations, IR scores can be computed from, for example, dotproducts of feature vectors corresponding to a query and a document,page rank scores, and/or combinations of IR scores and page rank scores,etc.

The search engine 112 can combine the search results with one or more ofthe advertisements provided by the system 104. This combined informationcan then be forwarded to the user device 108 that requested the contentas the page content 111. The search results can be maintained asdistinct from the advertisements, so as not to confuse the user betweenpaid advertisements and presumably neutral search results.

In some implementations, the page content 111 can include a webpage 124with one or more syndication spaces 118, 120, and 122. An examplesyndication space can include an advertisement slot, an advertisementfeed, such as a real time syndication (RSS) feed, or some other portionof a web page 124 in which an advertisement is provided. The syndicationspaces 118, 120, 122 can also include advertising products.

The advertisers 102, user devices 108, and/or the search engine 112 canalso provide usage information to the advertisement management system104. This usage information can include measured or observed userbehavior related to advertisements that have been served, such as, forexample, whether or not a conversion or a selection related to anadvertisement has occurred. The system 104 performs financialtransactions, such as crediting the publishers 106 and charging theadvertisers 102 based on the usage information. Such usage informationcan also be processed to measure performance metrics, such as aclick-through rate (“CTR”), conversion rate, etc.

A click-through can occur, for example, when a user of a user device,selects or “clicks” on a link to a content item returned by thepublisher or the advertising management system. The CTR is a performancemetric that is obtained by dividing the number of clicks on the contentitem, e.g., a link to a landing page, an advertisement, or a searchresult, by the number of times the content item was delivered. Forexample, if a link to a content item is delivered 100 times, and thecontent item was clicked on 3 times, then the CTR for that content itemis 3%. Other usage information and/or performance metrics can also beused.

A “conversion” occurs, for example, when a user consummates atransaction related to a previously served advertisement. Whatconstitutes a conversion may vary from case to case and can bedetermined in a variety of ways. For example, a conversion may occurwhen a user clicks on an advertisement, is referred to the advertiser'swebpage, and consummates a purchase there before leaving that webpage. Aconversion can also be defined by an advertiser to be anymeasurable/observable user action such as, for example, downloading awhite paper, navigating to at least a given depth of a Webpage, viewingat least a certain number of Webpages, spending at least a predeterminedamount of time on a Webpage or Webpages, registering on a Webpage, etc.Other actions that constitute a conversion can also be used.

§2.0 Advertisement Auctioning and Management

In addition to the advertisements being selected based on content suchas a search query or webpage content of a publisher, the advertisementscan also be selected from an auction. In one implementation, theadvertisement management system 104 includes an auction process.Advertisers 102 may be permitted to select, or bid, an amount theadvertisers are willing to pay for each presentation, interaction orother action (e.g., click of an advertisement) associated with thepresentation of an advertisement. The cost-per-click can include amaximum cost-per-click, e.g., the maximum amount the advertiser iswilling to pay for each click of advertisement based on a keyword. Forexample, advertisers A, B, and C all select, or bid, a maximumcost-per-click of $0.50, $0.75, and $1.00, respectively. The maximumamount advertiser A will pay for a click is $0.50, the maximum amountadvertiser B will pay is $0.75, and the maximum amount advertiser C willpay is $1.00.

The rank of an advertisement that is displayed can be determined by, forexample, multiplying the maximum cost-per-click for the advertisement bya quality score of the advertisement. The advertisement can then beplaced among other advertisements in order of increasing or decreasingrank. For example, suppose the quality score of advertisers A, B, and Care “3,” “1,” and “1,” respectively. The rank of advertiser A, B, and Ccan be determined as follows:

A: Rank=quality score×maximum cost-per-click=3.0×$0.50=1.50

B: Rank=quality score×maximum cost-per-click=1.0×$0.75=0.75

C: Rank=quality score×maximum cost-per-click=1.0×$1.00=1.00

The advertisers can be ranked as follows:

1. A

2. C

3. B

An advertisement can also be associated with an actual cost-per-click.The actual cost-per-click of the advertisement can be determined by, forexample, the maximum cost-per-click of the advertisement, quality scoreof the advertisement, and by the amount selected or bid by theadvertiser directly below. In one implementation, the actualcost-per-click can be the price that is necessary to keep theadvertisement's position above the next advertisement. To determine theactual cost-per-click, the system 104 can determine how much theadvertiser in position 1 would have to pay to give them a rank equal tothe advertiser in position 2, and then the system 104 adds a unitamount, e.g., $0.01, to this determined amount.

To determine how much the advertiser in position 1 would have to pay togive them a rank equal to the advertiser in position 2, the rank ofposition 2 can be divided by the quality score of position 1 and $0.01can be added to that amount. The last advertiser in the list can pay aminimum cost-per-click to hold the position in the list. For example,suppose the minimum cost-per-click is $0.20. The actual cost-per-clickof advertisers A, B, and C can be determined as follows:

A: C's rank/A's quality score=1.0/3=$0.33+$0.01=$0.34

C: B's rank/C's quality score=0.75/1=$0.75+$0.01=$0.76

B: minimum cost-per-click=$0.20

In this example, advertiser A would only have to pay $0.34 to hold thefirst position in the list of advertisements. C would have to pay $0.76to hold the second position. Advertiser B would be required to pay theminimum cost-per-click amount of $0.20.

The advertisements, associated usage data, and bidding parametersdescribed above can be stored as advertisement data in an advertisementdata store 114. An advertiser 102 can further manage the serving ofadvertisements by specifying an advertising campaign. The advertisingcampaign can be stored in campaign data in an advertisement data store114, which can, for example, specify advertising budgets foradvertisements, when, where and under what conditions particularadvertisements may be served for presentation, etc.

§3.0 Displaying Syndication Spaces

As can be appreciated from the foregoing, the advertising managementsystem 104 permits the serving of advertisements targeted to documents,e.g., the webpage 124, served by a publisher 106. An advertiser 102 or apublisher 106 may be interested in reviewing the syndication spaces 118,120 and 122, e.g., advertising slots, on various web properties toevaluate the syndication spaces and/or the web property. One techniquefor allowing the advertiser 102 to review the locations is to allow theadvertiser 102 to see a visual display of the syndication spaces 118,120 and 122 that are available on the publisher's webpage as well as theattributes associated with each syndication space 118, 120 and 122.Attributes are discussed further below.

In one implementation, a property analysis subsystem 116 can identifythe syndication spaces 118, 120 and 122 associated with a web property,such as the webpage 124. Each syndication space 118, 120 and 122 definesa location on the webpage 124 in which the advertiser 102 can place anadvertisement, e.g. advertisements 117, 119 and 121. The webpage 124 canbe associated with the publisher 106. Thus, syndication spaces 118, 120and 122 define the locations on the webpage of the publisher 106 thatthe publisher 106 has reserved for advertisements.

In some implementations, the publisher 106 associated with the webpage124 can provide the syndication spaces 118, 120, 122 to the propertyanalysis subsystem 116. For example, the publisher 106 can design thewebpage 124 and insert snippets, e.g., JavaScript, to define locationsat which advertisements are to be rendered and to implement requests foradvertisements the advertisement management system 104.

In some implementations, each syndication space 118, 120 and 122 can beassociated with one or more attributes. The attributes can, for example,include a name of the syndication space 118, 120, 122. The name can beone that the publisher 106 has selected. The name can, for example,describe the location on the publisher's webpage, e.g., “Banner” or“Leaderboard.”

The attributes can also include a price associated with advertising inthe location associated with the syndication space 118, 120 and 122. Theprice can, for example, include the minimum CPC that an advertiser wouldhave to bid in order to be eligible to enter the auction for the webpage124 and for the particular syndication space. For example, each of theadvertisements already displayed on the webpage 124 can have acost-per-click amount of at least $0.50. Therefore, in order to enterthe auction for the webpage 124, an advertiser would have to bid atleast $0.50. Accordingly, the price attribute can include this minimumCPC.

The attributes can also include a format for the syndication space 118,120, 122. Each syndication space 118, 120 and 122 can accept a certainformat to be displayed on the webpage 124. For example, the format caninclude one or more image, video, or audio formats such as TIFF, .bmp,.JPG, .gif, .wav, .mp3, mpeg, etc. Each syndication space 118, 120 and122 may only be compatible with a certain format.

The attributes can also include an availability of each syndicationspace 118, 120 and 122. The availability indicates whether thesyndication space is available to accept new advertisements. Forexample, the syndication space 118 may already be associated with fiveadvertisements, and therefore, no other advertisement can be placed inthe location associated with the syndication space 118 until one of thefive advertisements expires. Each advertisement, however, will only bedisplayed in the location associated with the syndication space 118 fora certain time period. Therefore, the availability can indicate the datethat one of the current advertisements expires.

The above example list of attributes is not exhaustive. Other attributescan also be specified and/or used.

When the webpage 124 and advertisements 117, 119 and 121 are provided tothe user device 108 a, the webpage 124 is rendered and displayed on theuser device 108 a. Similar to the syndication spaces 118, 120 and 122,the advertisements 117, 119 and 121 can also be associated withattributes. Example attributes include the length of time theadvertisement will be displayed, the name of the advertiser, a creativeassociated with the advertisement, and a minimum CPC associated with theadvertisement.

In some implementations, the property analysis subsystem 116 cangenerate display data 126 that cause each syndication space 118, 120 and122 to selectively display a visual indication 128 of one or more of theattributes on the webpage 124 at the client device. The visualindication 128 can include highlighting the locations on the webpage 124associated with each syndication space 118, 120 and 122. The visualindication 128 can also include outlining a border of each locationassociated with the syndication space 118, 120 and 122 so that thelocation is clearly visible and stands out from the other portions ofthe webpage 124. In some implementations, the visual indication 128 caninclude textual data specifying and describing a normally non-visibleattribute, such as a minimum price associated with the syndicationspace, or a format specification associated with the syndication space,etc.

In some implementations, the visual indication 128 can be cumulative ofadvertisements displayed in the location of each syndication space 118,120 and 122 when the webpage 124 is rendered at the client device. Forexample, the visual indication 128 can be overlaid on top of existingadvertisements, where the existing advertisements may be still visiblefrom underneath the visual indication 128. The visual indication 128can, for example, show the advertiser 102 the various syndication spaces118, 120 and 122 and associated attributes that are available on thewebpage 124 for advertising opportunities.

In some implementations, the visual indication 128 is exclusive of anyadvertisement displayed in each syndication space 118, 120 and 122 whenthe webpage 124 is rendered at the client device. For example, theexisting advertisement may be suppresses or not displayed, and thevisual indication 128 can display the various syndication spaces 118,120, 122 and associated attributes that are available on the webpage 124for advertising opportunities.

In some implementations, the display data 126 can cause a client deviceto display a display element 130 on the webpage 124. In someimplementations, the display element 130 can, for example, include abutton on the webpage 124. In other implementations, the display element130 can be a button on a toolbar on the webpage 124. For example, theadvertiser 102 can install the toolbar and when browsing the webpage124, can press a button on the toolbar to display the visual indication128. The display data 126 can be provided to advertisers 102 orpublishers 106 upon creating an account managed by the advertisementmanagement system 104.

Selection of the display element 130 on the webpage 124 can generate thevisual indication 128 of the attributes of each syndication space 118,120 and 122 displayed on the webpage 124. For example, upon selection ofthe display element 130, each location associated with the syndicationspaces 118, 120 and 122 can be highlighted to show the advertiser 102the various locations on the webpage 124 available for advertising.Other attributes such as the name associated with each syndication space118, 120 and 122 can also be displayed for the advertiser 102 as well asthe minimum CPC, the format, and the availability associated with eachsyndication space 118, 120, and 122.

In some implementations, the syndication spaces 118, 120, and 122 can bechanged from the webpage 124. The webpage 124 can include a displayelement for editing the webpage 124. Upon selection of the displayelement, the webpage 124 can turn into edit mode for authenticatedadministrators. The administrator can change the attributes associatedwith the syndication spaces from the webpage 124.

In some implementations, the webpage 124 may display a general list ofpromotional deals. A drop-down list or other visual layer can bedisplayed on the webpage 124 or be attached to the toolbar. The list canshow the top syndication spaces 118, 120, and 122 being promoted by thepublisher. The list can include links to specific locations within thewebpage 124. If the user is on the webpage 124, the list can includeother webpages within the webpage 124 that can include promotionaldeals.

In some implementations, the syndication spaces 118, 120, and 122 caninclude a minimum impression or click commitment. For example, anadvertiser has to commit to purchasing a minimum number of impressions.In some implementations, the syndication spaces 118, 120, and 122 caninclude an attribute that shows that the syndication spaces only acceptadvertisements that are associated with campaigns that run for a minimumperiod of time. For example, the campaign has to run for six months. Inother implementations, the syndication spaces 118, 120, and 122 canexpire on a preselected date.

In some implementations, two or more syndication spaces 118, 120, and122 can be bundled together and can be associated with a bundled CPCamount. If the syndication spaces 118, 120, and 122 are available asbundled, a visual indication can also show the bundles.

§4.0 Example Syndication Spaces

FIG. 2A illustrates an example webpage 200 of a publisher 106. Thepublisher 106 in this example is “Flower Gardening by Dagny.” Thewebpage 200 shows one or more advertisements 204, 206, 208. Anadvertiser 102 browsing the webpage 200 may decide to advertise on thewebpage 200. In some implementations, a “Show Syndication Spaces” button210 can be rendered on the web page 200. The advertiser 102 can selectthe “Show Syndication Spaces” button 210 to review a display of thesyndication spaces available on the webpage 200 for placing anadvertisement. In other implementations, a “Show Syndication Spaces” 212button can be displayed on a toolbar of the web page. The advertiser 102can select the “Show Syndication Spaces” button 212 on the toolbar tosee a display of the syndication spaces. The advertiser 102 can createan account with the management system 104 to view the buttons 210 and212, along with the corresponding functionality.

FIG. 2B illustrates an example webpage 200 displaying one or moresyndication spaces 214, 216, 218. Upon selection of the “ShowSyndication Spaces” button 210 or 212, the webpage 200 can display avisual indication of the attributes 222 associated with the syndicationspace 214. The webpage 200 can also display a visual indication of theattributes 226 associated with the syndication space 216, as well asvisual indications of the attributes 230 associated with the syndicationspace 218.

The visual indications can, for example, include highlights 220, 224,228 around each advertising location associated with the syndicationspaces 214, 216 and 218, respectively, that are available foradvertising on the webpage 200, and can also include textual renderingof the attributes 222, 226, and 230 associated with the syndicationspaces 214, 216, 218 such as the name, minimum CPC, format, andavailability date of each syndication space 214, 216, 218. For example,the textual rendering of the attributes 222 include the name of thesyndication space 214, (“Banner 1);” the minimum CPC that an advertiser102 must bid to enter the auction to advertise in the locationassociated with syndication space 214 (“$1.00”); the format that anadvertiser 102 must provide to advertise in the location associated withsyndication space 214 (“.jpg” or “.gif.”); the date the syndicationspace 214 is available for advertising (“Apr. 1, 2008”). Similarattributes are shown by the visual indicators 224 and 228 forsyndication spaces 226 and 230, respectively.

The visual indicators 220, 222, 224 and 226 are cumulatively displayedover the respective advertisements 204 and 206. In this example, thewebpage 200 thus displays the visual indications 220, 222, 224 and 226on top of previously displayed advertisements 204 and 206. However, theadvertisement 208 is not shown in FIG. 2B, as the visual indicators 228and 230 are exclusively displayed.

§5.0 Example Syndication Space Processes

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an example process 300 for selectivelydisplaying a visual indication of attributes associated with syndicationspaces. The process 300 can, for example, be implemented in theadvertisement management system 104 of FIG. 1, or in some other hardwareand software computing device.

The process 300 identifies syndication spaces for a webpage (302). Eachsyndication space can define a location on the webpage in which one ormore advertisements are displayed at a client device. For example, theproperty analysis subsystem 116 can identify syndication spaces for awebpage as described in sections 3.0 and 4.0 above.

The process 300 generates display data and selectively displays a visualindication of one or more of the attributes on the webpage at the clientdevice (304). For example, the property analysis subsystem 116 cangenerate display data and can selectively display a visual indication ofone or more of the attributes on the webpage at the client device.

The process 300 provides the display data to the client device (306).For example, the property analysis subsystem 116 can provide the displaydata 126 to the user device 108 a. The user device 108 a, in turn,utilizes the display data 126 for the selective display of a visualindication of one or more of the attributes on the webpage displayed atthe user device 108 a.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example process 400 for selectivelydisplaying a visual indication of attributes on a webpage. The process400 can, for example, be implemented in a client device, such as theuser device 108 a FIG. 1, or in some other hardware and softwarecomputing device.

The process 400 receives identifiers of one or more syndication spacesassociated with a webpage (402). Each syndication space can define alocation on the webpage in which one or more advertisements aredisplayed on the client device, and each syndication space is associatedwith one or more attributes. For example, the user device 108 a canreceive identifiers of one or more syndication spaces associated withthe webpage 124, e.g., syndication spaces 118, 120 and 122.

The process 400 selectively displays a visual indication of the one ormore attributes on the webpage in response to a user selection (404).For example, a user of the user device 108 a can select the displayelement 130, which, in turn, causes the client device to display visualindications of the one or more attributes.

The advertisement management system 104 can be realized by instructionsthat upon execution cause one or more processing devices to carry outthe processes and functions described above. Such instructions can, forexample, comprise interpreted instructions, such as script instructions,e.g., JavaScript or ECMAScript instructions, or executable code, orother instructions stored in a computer readable medium. Theadvertisement management system 104 can be distributively implementedover a network, such as a server farm, or can be implemented in a singlecomputer device.

Embodiments of the subject matter and the functional operationsdescribed in this specification can be implemented in digital electroniccircuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including thestructures disclosed in this specification and their structuralequivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them. Embodiments ofthe subject matter described in this specification can be implemented asone or more computer program products, i.e., one or more modules ofcomputer program instructions encoded on a tangible program carrier forexecution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus.The tangible program carrier can be a propagated signal or a computerreadable medium. The propagated signal is an artificially generatedsignal, e.g., a machine generated electrical, optical, orelectromagnetic signal that is generated to encode information fortransmission to suitable receiver apparatus for execution by a computer.The computer readable medium can be a machine readable storage device, amachine readable storage substrate, a memory device, a composition ofmatter effecting a machine readable propagated signal, or a combinationof one or more of them.

A computer program (also known as a program, software, softwareapplication, script, or code) can be written in any form of programminglanguage, including compiled or interpreted languages, or declarative orprocedural languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as astand alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unitsuitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program does notnecessarily correspond to a file in a file system. A program can bestored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data (e.g.,one or more scripts stored in a markup language document), in a singlefile dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple coordinatedfiles (e.g., files that store one or more modules, sub programs, orportions of code). A computer program can be deployed to be executed onone computer or on multiple computers that are located at one site ordistributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communicationnetwork.

Additionally, the logic flows and structure block diagrams described inthis patent document, which describe particular methods and/orcorresponding acts in support of steps and corresponding functions insupport of disclosed structural means, may also be utilized to implementcorresponding software structures and algorithms, and equivalentsthereof. The processes and logic flows described in this specificationcan be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one ormore computer programs to perform functions by operating on input dataand generating output.

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, byway of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, andany one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, aprocessor will receive instructions and data from a read only memory ora random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer area processor for performing instructions and one or more memory devicesfor storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will alsoinclude, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer datato, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g.,magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks. However, a computerneed not have such devices.

Computer readable media suitable for storing computer programinstructions and data include all forms of non volatile memory, mediaand memory devices, including by way of example semiconductor memorydevices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks,e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto optical disks; andCD ROM and DVD ROM disks. The processor and the memory can besupplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.

To provide for interaction with a user, embodiments of the subjectmatter described in this specification can be implemented on a computerhaving a display device, e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquidcrystal display) monitor, for displaying information to the user and akeyboard and a pointing device, e.g., a mouse or a trackball, by whichthe user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices canbe used to provide for interaction with a user as well; for example,feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, e.g.,visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input fromthe user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, ortactile input.

Embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can beimplemented in a computing system that includes a back end component,e.g., as a data server, or that includes a middleware component, e.g.,an application server, or that includes a front end component, e.g., aclient computer having a graphical user interface or a Web browserthrough which a user can interact with an implementation of the subjectmatter described is this specification, or any combination of one ormore such back end, middleware, or front end components. The componentsof the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digitaldata communication, e.g., a communication network. Examples ofcommunication networks include a local area network (“LAN”) and a widearea network (“WAN”), e.g., the Internet.

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client server relationship to each other.

While this specification contains many specific implementation details,these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of anyinvention or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions offeatures that may be specific to particular embodiments of particularinventions. Certain features that are described in this specification inthe context of separate embodiments can also be implemented incombination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features thatare described in the context of a single embodiment can also beimplemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitablesubcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above asacting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, oneor more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excisedfrom the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to asubcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particularorder, this should not be understood as requiring that such operationsbe performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, orthat all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirableresults. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processingmay be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various systemcomponents in the embodiments described above should not be understoodas requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should beunderstood that the described program components and systems cangenerally be integrated together in a single software product orpackaged into multiple software products.

Particular embodiments of the subject matter described in thisspecification have been described. Other embodiments are within thescope of the following claims. For example, the actions recited in theclaims can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirableresults. As one example, the processes depicted in the accompanyingfigures do not necessarily require the particular order shown, orsequential order, to achieve desirable results. In certainimplementations, multitasking and parallel processing may beadvantageous.

This written description sets forth the best mode of the invention andprovides examples to describe the invention and to enable a person ofordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention. This writtendescription does not limit the invention to the precise terms set forth.Thus, while the invention has been described in detail with reference tothe examples set forth above, those of ordinary skill in the art mayeffect alterations, modifications and variations to the examples withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:identifying, on a computer, a syndication space on a webpage displayedon a client device, the syndication space being a location on thewebpage at which a visible advertisement is displayed upon presentationof the webpage by the client device, and the syndication spaceassociated with one or more attributes, the one or more attributesincluding a price attribute for presenting an advertisement in thelocation on the webpage; and while displaying the webpage on the clientdevice, displaying, in the location on the webpage and for each of theone or more attributes, a value of the attribute, the displayingincluding: suppressing the display of the visible advertisement in thelocation, and displaying, in the location, the price for presenting anadvertisement in the location of the syndication space.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein displaying a value of the attribute comprisesdisplaying the value in response to user interaction with a displayelement.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the display element comprisesa first button on the webpage.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein thedisplay element comprises a second button on a toolbar associated withthe webpage.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the price value iscumulative of any advertisement displayed in the location of thesyndication space when the webpage is rendered at the client device. 6.The method of claim 1, wherein identifying syndication space for awebpage comprises: receiving the syndication space identifiers from apublisher associated with the webpage.
 7. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising displaying a name, a price, a format, and an availability ofthe syndication space.
 8. A computer-implemented method, comprising:receiving, on a computer, an identifier of a syndication spaceassociated with a webpage, the syndication space defining a location onthe webpage at which a visible advertisement is displayed at a clientdevice when the webpage is displayed on the client device, and thesyndication space associated with one or more attributes, the one ormore attributes including a price attribute for presenting anadvertisement in the location associated with the syndication space;generating for the syndication space, on the computer, display data tosuppress the display of the visible advertisement displayed on theclient device and to display, for each of the one or more attributes, avalue of the attribute in the syndication space on the webpage inresponse to a user selection, the display data including data fordisplaying a price value for presenting the advertisement in thelocation of the syndication space; and providing the display data to theclient device.
 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: receivingthe user selection of a display element associated with the webpage; anddisplaying a value of the attribute in response to the received userselection.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the display element is afirst button on the webpage.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein thedisplay element is a second button on a toolbar associated with thewebpage.
 12. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the identifier ofthe syndication space associated with the webpage comprises: receivingthe identifier with the webpage.
 13. The method of claim 8, whereinsuppressing the display of the visible advertisement includes causingthe visible advertisement displayed in a syndication space to be removedand replaced by the value of each attribute of the syndication space.14. The method of claim 8, wherein the attribute values further includea name of the syndication space, a format of the syndication space, andan availability of the syndication space.
 15. The method of claim 8,wherein the syndication space is identified by a publisher associatedwith the webpage.
 16. Software stored in a computer-readable medium, thesoftware comprising instruction that when executed by a processor devicecauses the processor device to perform operations comprising:identifying a syndication space on a webpage displayed on a clientdevice, the syndication space being a location on the webpage at which avisible advertisement is displayed upon presentation of the webpage bythe client device, and the syndication space associated with one or moreattributes, the one or more attributes specifying a price for presentingan advertisement in the location on the webpage; and while displayingthe webpage on the client device, displaying, in the location on thewebpage and for each of the one or more attributes, a value of theattribute, the displaying including: suppressing the display of thevisible advertisement in the location, and displaying, in the location,the price for presenting an advertisement in the location of thesyndication space.
 17. The software of claim 16, wherein displaying thevalue of the attribute comprises displaying the value in response touser interaction with a display element.
 18. The software of claim 16,wherein displaying a value of the attribute comprises displaying thevalue cumulative of an advertisement displayed in-the syndication spacewhen the webpage is rendered at the client device.
 19. A system,comprising: a processor; a computer-readable medium coupled to theprocessor and having instructions stored thereon, which, when executedby the processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising:receiving an identifier of a syndication space associated with awebpage, the syndication space defining a location on the webpage atwhich a visible advertisement is displayed at a client device when thewebpage is displayed on the client device, and the syndication spaceassociated with one or more attributes, the one or more attributesincluding a price attribute for presenting an advertisement in thelocation associated with the syndication space; generating for thesyndication space display data to suppress the display of the visibleadvertisement and display, for each of the one or more attributes, avalue of the attribute in the syndication space on the webpage inresponse to a user selection; and providing the display data to theclient.
 20. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is furtheroperable to perform operations comprising: receiving the identifier ofthe syndication space with the webpage.
 21. A system, comprising: meansfor identifying, on a computer, a syndication space on a webpagedisplayed on a client device, the syndication space being a location onthe webpage at which a visible advertisement is displayed uponpresentation of the webpage by the client device, and the syndicationspace associated with one or more attributes, the one or more attributesincluding a price attribute for presenting an advertisement in thelocation on the webpage; and means for displaying, in the location onthe webpage and for each of the one or more attributes, a value of theattribute, the displaying including: suppressing the display of thevisible advertisement in the location, and displaying, in the location,the price for presenting an advertisement in the location of thesyndication space.
 22. Software stored in a computer-readable medium,the software comprising instruction that when executed by a processordevice causes the processor device to perform operations comprising:receiving, on a computer, an identifier of a syndication spaceassociated with a webpage, the syndication space defining a location onthe webpage at which a visible advertisement is displayed at a clientdevice when the webpage is displayed on the client device, and thesyndication space associated with one or more attributes, the one ormore attributes including a price attribute for presenting anadvertisement in the location associated with the syndication space;generating for the syndication space, on the computer, display data tosuppress the display of the visible advertisement and display, for eachof the one or more attributes, a value of the attribute in thesyndication space on the webpage in response to a user selection, thedisplay data including data for displaying a price value for presentingthe advertisement in the location of the syndication space; andproviding the display data to the client device.